11/09/2007
Gay Philadelphia Couple Allege Neighbors are Guilty of Hate Crimes
A gay Philadelphia couple tells local station WCAU that they hope their complaints are finally being heard after years of abuse by vandals they believe are their neighbors. Javel Saudades and Daniel Hallacy live on the Philadelphia neighborhood of Kensington.
Said Javel Saudades: "They left [a phallic-shaped steel rod] on our doorstep. [It means] we'll stick it up to you. You better leave or we're going to stick it to you. They put 'gay faggot (expletive)' on the window. I'm embarrassed, I am stressed, depressed and afraid."
The abuse has reportedly been ongoing for three years but the couple finally believes they are making headway with the police.
Said Philly police Lt. Frank Vanore to WCAU:, "We'd like to make an arrest. If we find out who committed those crimes, believe me, they'll pay for what they've done. The problems with the particular neighbors is there's no evidence these neighbors perpetrated any of these crimes."
Said Hallacy: ""All we'd like is to live peacefully and to have a decent clean neighborhood...I didn't know that I was going to be a pioneer, you know, on a frontier of homophobia in this neighborhood in 2007 in Philadelphia. I think it's absurd."
Gay Couple Says They've Been Targeted By Hate [wcau philadelphia]
Sphere: Related ContentPosted 4:30 PM EST by Andy in Crime, Gay Slurs, News, Philadelphia | Permalink
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Why don't they buy a security camera or two and a VCR? The police are never going to be there right when they're needed...
www.theskinofmyteeth.com
David B.
Posted by: David B. | Nov 9, 2007 4:39:06 PM
Those two are very brave to live in Kensington; it hasn't gentrified any more than North Philly--maybe less. I went to middle school in Kensington. Nineteen and twenty year old white guys used to chase us ten to fourteen year old Colored kids to the "EL" (elevated transit train) every few weeks--sometimes they caught and whupped a few of us. (Actually, I think we were black by then.)
Kensington has some historical significance, I suppose, but more drug addcts than....but still, the couple is truly courageous. If y'all visited that neighborhood, you'd know why.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Nov 9, 2007 4:44:17 PM
It's pretty obvious from the video that the area isn't gentrified.
Where does one get a steel penis? Or was it just a piece of metal that sort of looked like one?
I'm not trying to be rude at all, but for the first half of the story I was confused because I thought the guy in red was a woman. Only when he spoke did I realize he's male.
Posted by: Paul | Nov 9, 2007 4:50:59 PM
Paul, great question! Sounds more like some kind of sculpture. Derrick, since most of the news out of Philly is about crime these days, and, the open arms it has for gays and lesbian tourist, is this area one of the really bad ones or what? Is it one that you've heard of as having gay bashing's?
Posted by: Sebastian | Nov 9, 2007 4:58:55 PM
What in the hell are they doing living in Kensington?
Posted by: jmg | Nov 9, 2007 5:09:21 PM
Sebastian: It's one of those crazy situations you only find in an old urban setting. A openly gay man would be in grave danger in Kensington; a drag queen? Maybe not. Well, it would have to be a tough street wise drag queen.
Usually, it's gay women who do this pioneer stuff--you know, moving into really rough neighborhoods, starting the early gentification process.
I'm not crazy about gentrification: it displaces poor folks (comme moi). The so-called gayborhood in Philly's Center City is no longer affordable to many gay people, but gay tourists love it, I guess.
Yes, the murder rate in Philly is atrocious, but I'm not sure if gay-bashing has been on the rise. Darlin', I'm fifty now, I only go to safe day-time activities. You'd think I'd go to those sober, wouldn't you?
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Nov 9, 2007 5:10:38 PM
I grew up in and around Kensington. It was always bad. Very bad. One of the meanest gangs in Philly hung out at the corner of Kensington and Allegheny, otherwise known as K&A. These guys were known for a specifically horrendous fighting technique called the "Kensington kick", where your opponent was knocked down on the pavement, head lobbing over the curb and into the gutter and the K&Aer would then kick the victim under the chin. Teeth were usually lost and jaws severely broken, occasionally a neck snapped. I eventually went to live in North Philly with my grandmother, otherwise I have little doubt I would have ended up dead or a career criminal. I still have family that lives in the city and they say it's worse than ever. Almost everyone I knew moved to Jersey, many to the Jersey shore. I ended up in Cape May. What an entirely different world that was. No way I'd ever go back to Kensington. Not even for a visit.
Posted by: Bob R | Nov 9, 2007 6:16:36 PM
Can someone help me understand what the black neighbor was saying? I could not understand a word. I want to understand every side to this story.
Thanks.
Posted by: Becks07 | Nov 9, 2007 6:48:31 PM
Problem with the neighbors?
Buy a gun, learn to use it.
Posted by: Wheezy | Nov 9, 2007 7:40:03 PM
Thanks for the info Derrick, you are a 50 year old with a great sense of humor, if, I ever make it to the City of Brotherly love, I'll make sure to let you know, so I can buy you a Cosmo in the gayborhood!
Posted by: Sebastain | Nov 9, 2007 8:32:38 PM
Buy a gun people....buy a gun! Do not take that shit!
I'd be one of those crazies armed to the teeth (AK57 or at least a 357) if I had to be in an area like that.
You can always shoot first and blame the antidepressants you're on.
Posted by: Jordan | Nov 9, 2007 9:06:31 PM
Yeah, buy a gun. Great idea. Embroil yourself in a court case where you could spend tens of thousands of dollars defending yourself and possibly end up in prison for many years.
Or you could move. Who wants to live in a dangerous area surrounded by people who hate you? There are other affordable areas in and near Philadelphia. No wonder foreigners think the US is full of gun freaks. Yay, let's solve every problem with violence! Responding to violence with violence produces an endless cycle.
Posted by: Paul | Nov 9, 2007 9:11:27 PM
I grew up in Philly too (my grandparents lived in Port Richmond and I used to take the bus to York and Daupihn to catch the EL. I agree K&A is not the best neighborhood in the city but I'm not so sure it is entirely non-gay friendly. There is (or was at least recently) a gay bar called Port Blue up in Port Richmond on Allegheny Ave. I agree that one gay bar does not gentrification make but that is one more than any other section of the city (not counting cetner city) has.
I don't know what to make of the story.
Ed
Posted by: Ed | Nov 9, 2007 11:12:46 PM
Pas Toi?
Posted by: Heinous | Nov 10, 2007 1:32:00 AM
i couldn't get the video to play...would have liked to see what they are enduring...i have had my vehicles vandalized five times in the past several months: tires slashed, paint-balled, ramsacked...my house was paint-balled...i have (jokingly), a direct line to the southwest district police office...i'm fairly certain i'm being targeted because i am gay...the whole neighborhood knows it, except for the transients...i don't tolerate nonsense in my neighborhood...i've lived here too long (21 years and counting)...you put too much time, money and effort into your house to be bullied by some young thugs...one 14-year old neighbor is behing bars for at least 15 years...thankfully he is gone...he's the one who slashed my tires...he's in jail for 2 counts of attempted murder and armed robbery...baltimore is no better than philly...possibly worse.
Posted by: cliff | Nov 10, 2007 6:30:42 AM
Yes, very bad feelings to meet this kind of neighbors.
Let them know how you strong.
Gay friends on Findbilover.com
Posted by: John | Nov 12, 2007 4:31:05 AM
Is this a male or a female gay couple? I honestly can not tell :|
Posted by: stephen | Nov 12, 2007 5:15:13 AM